Special needs couple ask Knesset speaker for permission to wed there

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Knesset worker and his fiancee, both with special needs, have petitioned Speaker Yuli Edelstein for permission to be married there.

Nadav Halperin and Hodaya Lowenstein made their request to help promote tolerance for people with special needs, Israel’s Channel 2 reported Thursday.

The couple met under the auspices of the Alei Siach organization, which provides programs for people with special needs, including assisted living, occupational therapy and college.

Chaim Frankel, director of the organization, sent the letter to Edelstein on behalf of the couple, according to Channel 2.

“Allowing a wedding for people with special needs to take place at the Knesset, the heart of Israeli democracy and consensus, would benefit our work to create a more inclusive society for people with special needs in Israeli society,” Frankel wrote. “Your permission would provide an official seal of approval for the hopes of so many people to be included in society. It also would put Israel at the forefront of tolerant countries that are working towards acceptance of ‘the other.’”